Edge of the Earth Video

During this video, I learned about a few of the factors in the mid-west that are contributing to the deterioration of the world's health. One of the most significant environmental tragedies was the dust bowl in the great plains during the 1930's. The devastation was so enormous a well know book, "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck told of the drama caused by this storm of dust. When the dust bowl occurred, it picked up all of the topsoil in the Great Plains and cleared the soil of its vital nutrients, which blew half way across the Atlantic. Farmers in the Great Plains are still suffering from the effects.
Today in Kansas, however, there is a farmer who is strongly urging farmers to create a more environmentally friendly style of farming. He persists that digging deep does not always create a higher yielding crop. In an attempt to rejuvenate the natural health of the soil he has created a grass barricade between his farming property and the river beside his land. This waterway flows into the Mississippi River and into the Gulf of Mexico, he hopes to stop as much chemical runoff as possible. The sad part is, toxins have already made it into the Gulf where the Mississippi flows and has created an area known as "The Dead Zone". Here, no fish can live and the water quality is extremely poor for any kind of marine life. With a lot of encouragement and willingness, Farmers can enhance what is left of their soil and valuable resources to create a healthier environment on land and in the world's oceans.